Blackfoot storyteller Alex Soop plunges us into a shocking well of imagination in this collection of short stories, Midnight Storm Moonless Sky. From hauntings on the Highway of Tears to fearful gatherings of ghosts and the sorrows of racism, Soop combines the social anxieties of Indigenous life with spellbinding flights and frights of speculative fiction. Through these enthralling stories of reality mixed with terror, listeners get a wicked glimpse into the genre of Indigenous horror.
There are some great stories in here, but the writing style isn't quite for me. It just lacked that zest to capture my attention. Still, I can't wait to see what else the author comes out with in the future.
A decent first collection of stories that shows future promise. None of the stories were bad, I just thought many of them were ok instead of very good. Some, such as "An Unlikely Turn of Events" did not feel like horror, while others such as "Across the Bridge" felt like the fragment of a larger story. I think "A Lively Old Merriment" and "Mr. Knife" were the most effective stories, having both good character-building and storytelling, as well as an effective twist. I did enjoy the integration of Blackfoot tradition and language into the stories, which I felt added a cultural richness to them. I think this author, with some more writing, will likely turn into a very effective horror writer.
I’m excited to see what Soop writes next! This collection of stories does a great job at balancing suspense and supernatural. I also liked how it incorporated contemporary issues affecting indigenous people. Sometimes the pacing was a tad off, and some stories didn’t fully fit the horror genre in my opinion, but the writing flow was very natural. Also it was so satisfying to see a priest from a residential school end up in a purgatory with an Italian gangster as a guide. That was my favorite story by far!
This wasn’t much of a horror novel. It’s more like when you’re around the campfire, and someone says “Hey, let me tell you think creepy story. It totally happened to my uncle’s friend’s cousin.” It isn’t really that creepy, a prime example of something that is only interesting if true, but just as a story, it isn’t that compelling.
I get the impression from the intro that this is sort of intended. But I don’t think it translated from oral to written very well.
A collection of stories from an Indigenous point of view. A very hit and miss selection but there is alot here to catch your attention. There is alot of promise as to what Alex Soop can do going forward.
This is a great collection of intriguing horror stories. I found some more captivating than others, but a fantastic read nonetheless. I hope to see more from this author in the future. This book definitely garnered my interest in reading more indigenous horror!
Interesting stories with an Indigenous twist. Not exactly what I would consider "horror" but interesting nonetheless. Looking forward to more writing from Alex Soop.
a good collection of chilling tales mixed between urban stories and rural ones. My personal favorite was The Wail of the Wind. horrifying, atmospheric,tragic and chilling